McIlroy Makes Strong Start in Bid to Defend Masters Title

Defending champion Rory McIlroy got off to a dream start at the Masters, taking a share of the early lead with a five-under 67 at Augusta National. McIlroy mixed six birdies with a lone bogey, leaving him tied with Sam Burns after the first round. Despite the strong start, McIlroy is refusing to get ahead of himself, saying 'it's a great start, but there's a long way to go.' He added that he felt the same nerves as always on the first tee, but settled into the round quickly. McIlroy's round was impressive, given that he only found five fairways off the tee, but he responded well whenever out of position. His patience was rewarded with five birdies in an eight-hole stretch, which pushed him up the leaderboard. Golf expert Butch Harmon praised McIlroy's round, saying 'he's been an escape artist today from some of the places he put himself.' McIlroy's opening round came just hours after Jack Nicklaus backed him to successfully defend his title, saying 'Rory's got the monkey off his back, and I think he has a very, very good chance to repeat.' The star-studded leaderboard sees plenty of major contenders, with Jason Day saying 'there are plenty of great golfers out there that you have to worry about.'